Gordon Rocks - to dive or not?

[k374]

I am living in Quito for the moment and heading to the Galapagos islands for 10 days next month Excited of course, but I will probably be diving there only 1 or 2 days. I have about 80 dives under me, in various conditions... wall dives, deep dives, moderate surge, fairly rough seas (Molokini back wall etc.) and current (Coz., Richelieu rock), low viz etc. However, I still have not dove in very strong currents and i've heard some people describe this site as "the washing machine" :shocked2: and that Gordon Rocks is only for experts... I do consider myself as a beginner.

I really want to dive Gordon Rocks but am a little apprehensive as some tell me this is only for experts. I really do not know what in the world that really means since the definition of the word "expert" seems to have ridiculously varied meanings depending on who you ask. A diver I asked locally said 100 previous dives was recommended.

Can a fellow SBer who is in the know how briefly explain the prevailing conditions in Gordon rocks statistically (i.e. knots of currents, swells, feet (or meters) of viz) and a synopsis of what exactly makes this site challenging. Based on this I will figure out if I want to dive it or not...i'm just trying to be cautious here and not bite more than I can chew :cool2:

 

[galapagosexpert]

Hi! Í´ve dived at Gordon´s many times...sometimes it´s been a breeze, and other times it´s been unpleasant! At the end of the day it´s up to you to decide...but if you have good buoyancy, are comfortable with lo viz, and are generally fit and good with your air, these are things that definitelywork in your favor. Have you been diving recently? Do you feel comfortable with roll-ins in choppy water and dropping straight down ? These are things you might want to consider. There is a maximum of 8 divers per DM/Galapagos National Park DIve Guide, and it´s important to speak up when booking, and talk openly with the agency and DM about your queries if you do decide to go. Good luck with!+.

 

[dzonokwa]

I dove Gordon Rocks when I had about the same experience as you have. It is a good thing to be apprehensive. It was not a recreational dive but it was beautiful. Amazingly awesome! I agree with galapagosexpert.... dive a few times before the Gordon Rocks dive, discuss your anxiety with the DM and determine the conditions before hand. Without a doubt you need to feel secure about chop, fast descents, and diving in current. I am glad you are asking and researching before you go jump into the water. If you choose to go, you will love it. If you decide not to go, don't worry Gordon Rocks will always be there waiting for you to return. Have fun diving!

 

[k374]

great guys, thanks! I guess I am going to give it a try....

 

[bati]

K374 a few months ago i posted a similar thread aboute the experience needed in order to dive Darwin & Wolf.
Here is the link : http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/south-america/360911-how-much-experience-galapagos.html ,hope is useful.

 

[Doc]

Good advice as above- talk with your DM and stay very close. Absolutely batsh*t down-currents.

I assume you'll be on Sta Cruz, in Puerto Ayorra. I would send you in to see Scuba Iguana for Gordon Rocks.

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

To answer some things that weren't addressed, though variable, the only place to really be concerned about currents is around the pinnacles (see map posted above). They rise nearly to the surface so the current has to pass through narrow trenches between them and that's where it can be strong...up to 4 knots. Also some strong surge in the area where you'll most likely pass between. Just hold onto rocks when it's coming at you, wait for it to recede and ride with it. When you're out in the blue, there's rarely much current. Viz is incredibly variable. Could be anywhere from 25 ft to 80+ feet. The chop at the surface is an issue when you're in the boat. Don't fall over in the movement. It can look crazy at the surface and then be as flat as can be below. I've never found rapid descents as necessary as at Darwin. You don't dawdle, but it's not a rush to grab rocks or be swept away from the group like it can be at Darwin. On the northeast tip there can be down currents, but the good thing about most sites in the Galapagos is that there are always rocks to grab and use to steady yourself in almost any current. You usually end your dives outside the rocks, so there's not much chop where you surface, just where you enter.

I had less dives than you for my first dive at Gordon Rocks and was equally apprehensive due to its reputation. No problem diving then and only once had a problem there in all subsequent dives due to a hungover...err..still drunk dive guide leading us too high by the pinnacles. Got sucked like a vacuum cleaner in the current. Wouldn't have been bad except my buddy was shaky in the water, always low on air and it split the group so, from where I stopped myself (grabbed rocks), no one else was in sight. Had to hand over hand crawl down one pinnacle, through the trench and up the other pinnacle once I saw a dive fin sticking out. Couldn't see my buddy was about 30 meters behind me and fortunately followed suit. If not for concern for my him, worst that would have happened is that the dive would have ended in about 20 minutes as the currents pulled us out into the channel where you surface anyway. That was the dive guide's fault. So yes, do go with Scuba Iguana!

 

[k374]

Thanks to all for the excellent info above

I Dove Gordon Rocks a few days ago, here is a mini report:

I dove with Academy Bay Dive center. The day started very early at 5:45am for the 1 hour trip from Puerto Ayora to the dock where the dive boat was waiting for us. It was a full load of 8 people, 2 divemasters and 1 crew. The trip to Gordon Rocks took a little longer than usual since we stopped en route to see a whole group of pilot whales hanging around...it was pretty awesome!
They must have made a kill because there were a huge number of birds that suddenly appeared and very interested in what was going on underneath! The ocean was relatively calm but since we were on a speedboat the ride was a bit bumpy.

We first went to a small cove by Santa Cruz and did a weight check in the ocean to verify all was well...then we took the short trip to Gordon Rocks where the DM gave the site description.

The site itself didn't seem anything out of the ordinary and we suited up and got in the water. With a 5 mil the water felt fine, it was about 25C. Visibility was relatively great,about 50feet or so. As I went down all I saw was a pile of rocks and was pretty disappointed. There didn't seem to be anything else around!

As we swam around a bend at around 110 feet my opinion was changed. The DM quickly pointed out 3 descending turtles, then I turned my head left as a huge school of hammerheads were just casually swimming by, then a bit later saw a few white tip sharks, then a HUGE school of Galapagos sharks, then a huge circle of barracudas above my head with a sea lion swimming in and out of this ball! In addition saw plenty of stingrays. The macro stuff was notably absent and there were no corals anywhere in sight.

It's obviously hard to describe such a visual stimulus in words, quite simply one of the most exhilarating diving experiences I have had.

A note about the currents - they were absolutely ridiculous! I have never experienced anything this crazy before, at times we had to hold on for dear life...even when I was holding onto the rock the current was so strong it was literally trying to pry my fingers off the rock and blow me away!! It was absolutely insane! Yikes :shocked2:

The only bad part of the dive was that it was a deep dive with a lot of time spent over 100 feet and in these cases I really dislike diving without my computer. I know how easy it is to get into DECO on deep dives and from experience I know some DMs really dive at the very edge of NDL which I don't really care to do...not alleging that this DM did so but it was hard to tell how long I was under, but from a gut feeling maybe close to 30 mins with most of it being at 100ft or so sounds pretty much on the edge I feel.

Anyway, it was a terrific experience and met all my expectations!!

 

[galapagosexpert]

Great job, and thanks for the report! I am glad you got to see some of the amazing things Galapagos can offer. The current can be brutal, can´t it? Once when I was holding on with both hands, my mask started to slip off from the current! A little scary for me at the time!
Enjoy the islands and am happy that all your research paid off and you had a brilliant time.